Latest news with #HMPManchester
Metro
09-07-2025
- Metro
Prisoners 'use drones to smuggle in takeaways' after cell bars break off windows
Prisoners are getting takeaways and weapons flown in via drones after bars on cell windows have broken and not been replaced, former guards have claimed. Criminal gangs are using 'sophisticated' drones to drop enough drugs to 'destabilise' jails, a scathing new report has revealed. And it is not just drugs – anything from McDonalds orders to knives are being physically flown in to prisoners because 'no one has fixed cell bars'. Sam Samworth, a former guard at HMP Manchester, told Metro: 'When I worked at the prison, there were bars and mesh cages on every single one. 'But now, loads have been broken and not replaced, so drones are able to fly straight up to the windows.' It not even entirely clear just how much this is happening, as most of the drop offs happen at night while the jail is less staffed. A former officer at HMP Frankland, which houses one of the most secure wings in the country, told Metro: 'I walked in to cells before to find prisoners surrounded by McDonalds wrappers which they could only have got via drone. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'Most of the time we never saw them fly near. They are so quiet and so small, and they always did it at night under the cover of darkness.' But the fear is high risk prisoners such as terrorists are able to access this lucrative network and bring more sophisticated and deadly weapons to 'hurt or kill as many people as possible'. In May, a 25-year-old prison officer was stabbed at Long Lartin and had to undergo emergency surgery after a weapon was flown in via drone. A current prison officer, who is friends with the victim, said colleagues 'had to put his insides back into his body' before the ambulance arrived. He told Metro: 'Some prisoners want to martyr themselves. One day, someone will be able to bring a bomb in. 'But it seems no one is doing anything about it. There are only signs on the walls saying 'do not fly drones here' – it's ridiculous.' Sam said: 'Prisoners are already flying knives in, what's to stop a terrorist from getting their hands on a gun? 'Most inmates know that if they are caught with a gun inside jail walls their lives will be over. But serious criminals who don't care about their own release and only want to hurt or kill people can do serious damage with one.' He explained there is 'a lot of money to be made' sneaking contraband in via drone. He said: 'Just one rizla paper in prison is worth £1. Can you imagine how much you will be paid for sneaking a weapon in?' Chief Prison Inspector Charlie Taylor said: 'It is highly alarming that the police and prison service have, in effect ceded the airspace above two high-security prisons to organised crime gangs which are able to deliver contraband to jails holding extremely dangerous prisoners including some who have been designated as high-risk category A.' He told Sky News there is also a 'theoretical risk' a prisoner could escape by being carried out of a jail by a drone. Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, Lord Timpson, said: 'This report shows the scale of the crisis we inherited and the unacceptable pressures faced by our hardworking staff – with prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence. 'We are ending this chaos. After just 500 prison places added in 14 years, we're building 14,000 extra – with 2,400 already delivered – and reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again. We're also improving prisons so they cut crime, not create better criminals. In the year ending September 2024, there were 29,881 assaults inside prison walls. More than 10,000 of these were against staff members, according to the Ministry of Justice. Budget cuts has caused deteriorating behaviour and well trained staff leaving, the former officers have claimed, Sam Samworth, a former guard at HMP Manchester, said. He told Metro: 'When I first started there was a regular regime and prisoners were out most of the day, but from 2015, it was an absolute car crash. 'But prisoners are now running the jails, there is no discipline, and they are spending way too much time locked up in their cell. 'It is just part of a pipeline which is leading to bigger problems.' 'We're also investing £40 million to bolster security, alongside stepping up cooperation with police to combat drones and stop the contraband which fuels violence behind bars.' It comes as attacks on prison staff rose, with 29,881 assaults inside prison walls in the year ending September 2024. More than 10,000 of these were against staff members, according to the Ministry of Justice. In April, HMP Frankland saw brother of the Manchester Arena bomber Hashem Abedi, 28, douse officers in hot oil. More Trending One officer suffered third degree burns while two others were stabbed and needed emergency surgery. HMP Manchester, also known as Strangeways, is home to some the 'most dangerous men in the country' receives 'regular drop offs', and has done ever since maintenance was privatised during austerity. In December, MP Kim Johnson asked the government to 'call time on the failed experiment and bring prison maintenance back in house where it belongs'. She said there were £1.8 billion in unreported repair costs leading to poor working conditions inside jails – and said privatisation has lead to the rising costs, meaning jailers are struggling to afford to replace them. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Victim's dismay after 'compulsive liar' mum who stole £78,000 spared jail MORE: Boy, 13, 'grabbed by grunting masked man' while walking through nature reserve MORE: Toddler dies in hot car 'after mum left him there to get lip filler'
The Independent
08-07-2025
- The Independent
Overwhelming levels of drugs destabilising prisons, watchdog warns
Criminal gangs are using drones to drop packages of up to 10 kilograms of drugs into prisons where the overwhelming amount of drugs is destabilising jails, a watchdog chief has warned. A 'menu of drugs' is available in prisons where work to rehabilitate criminals is being prevented, as many inmates are in their cells for 22 hours a day 'high on drugs, watching daytime TV'. Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor revealed that 'frightening' blades including a zombie knife were also suspected of being brought into prison by a drone, as he unveiled his annual report into prisons. Mr Taylor previously warned that drones dropping drugs at high-security jails HMP Manchester and HMP Long Lartin was a 'threat to national security', and he repeated calls on Tuesday for the threat to be taken seriously 'at the highest levels of Government'. He further told reporters that a theoretical possibility of the risk of a prisoner being carried out by a drone was 'concerning' as technology is moving fast. The watchdog chief said: 'There is a level of risk that's posed by drones that I think is different from what we've seen in the past, and both with stuff coming in and ultimately the potential for something even more serious to happen. 'What I'd like to see is that the prison service really get a grip of this issue and and we'd like to see the Government, security services coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn't materialise.' The annual report highlighted concerns that criminal gangs are often using sophisticated drones to target jails and sell contraband to bored and vulnerable inmates. Mr Taylor said that drones can smuggle in contraband more quickly and accurately than through corrupt prison staff or visits, as they can use location app what3words to deliver 'directly to an individual cell'. The report detailed that 39% of respondents to prisoner surveys said it was easy to get drugs in prison, and inspectors regularly visited prisons where the recorded rate of positive random drug tests was more than 30%. It said in many jails there were 'seemingly uncontrollable levels of criminality' that often inexperienced staff were unable to contain. It also found it 'unsurprising' that national rates of violence increased last year, making the chance of rehabilitation unlikely. Last month, the Independent Monitoring Board's annual report on prisons found violence remained 'excessively high', which was driven by overcrowding, inadequate mental health support and a surge in drug use. Of weapons, Mr Taylor said: 'I have been in prisons where they showed inspectors some pretty frightening-looking knives that have got in, which they suspect have got in as a result of drones.' The discovery of the zombie knife was after the period covered in the annual report. The watchdog boss said in the report: 'This is a threat that needs to be taken seriously at the highest levels of Government. 'Only when drugs are kept out, and prisoners are involved in genuinely purposeful activity that will help them to get work and resettle successfully on release, can we expect to see prisons rehabilitate rather than just contain the men and women they hold.' Mr Taylor's report also found overcrowding and lack of activity caused frustration among prisoners which fuelled the demand for drugs, with many spending most of the day in cramped shared cells with broken furniture and vermin. Overcrowding also meant there were not enough places for every prisoner to take part in work or education while in custody, but even when there were spaces available inspectors found underused workshops because of staff shortages. Purposeful activity was the worst performing assessment category by inspectors, with 28 out of 38 adult prisons visited deemed to be 'poor' or 'not sufficiently good' in this area. The findings, reviewed from April 2024 to March 2025, come as ministers grapple with overcrowding and high-profile security incidents in jails. The Government approved the use of protective body armour for prison staff in high security areas after four prison officers were allegedly attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland in April. Ministers have also vowed to create 14,000 new prison places by 2031 and have accepted recommendations from the independent sentencing review to curb overcrowding in the long term. Responding to the prison watchdog's annual report, Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: 'This report is a checklist for all the reasons the Government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently. 'Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives, protect staff, and help more people to move on from crime.' Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, also said the report paints a sadly familiar picture of a prison system in deep crisis, which is not just a prison problem but a 'public safety issue'. ' Prisons should be places of rehabilitation, not warehouses of despair,' she said. Responding to the report, prisons minister Lord James Timpson said ministers are improving prisons so they 'cut crime, not create better criminals'. 'This report shows the scale of the crisis we inherited and the unacceptable pressures faced by our hardworking staff – with prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence,' he said. 'We're also investing £40 million to bolster security, alongside stepping up co-operation with police to combat drones and stop the contraband which fuels violence behind bars'. Later, he told MPs that drugs are 'like a drain' on the system, and that the reasons why prisoners want to take drugs should be examined, as well as tackling supply. Giving evidence to the Commons Justice Committee, he said the Government had a plan in place to bring down the number of positive drugs tests, but that this would need to be done at the same time as reducing prisoner numbers. Current capacity stood at 98.2% full, he said. Officials are also concerned about drones being used to deliver weapons to prisons. Executive director for security for the Prison and Probation Service Richard Vince told the committee: 'We're particularly alert to and concerned about the prospect of firearms or explosives being delivered via drone.' Various security measures including netting and other covert systems are being investigated, MPs were told.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Britain's jails are being overrun by drugs: Prison watchdog warns of 'uncontrollable levels of criminality' behind bars as inmates spend 22 hours a day in cells 'high and watching daytime TV'
Prisons are grappling with 'uncontrollable levels of criminality' due to the surge of drugs being brought in via drones, a watchdog chief has warned. Chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor said inmates were able to order from a 'menu' of illicit substances while sitting in their cells for 22 hours a day 'high and watching daytime TV'. He described packages containing up to 10kg of drugs being dropped into prisons by drones alongside 'frightening' blades including a zombie knife. Mr Taylor previously warned that drones dropping drugs at high-security jails HMP Manchester and HMP Long Lartin was a 'threat to national security', and he repeated calls for the threat to be taken seriously 'at the highest levels of Government'. Unveiling his annual report into prisons yesterday, he said there was a 'theoretical' risk of a drone being used to carry an inmate over a wall as part of an escape. The watchdog chief said: 'There is a level of risk that's posed by drones that I think is different from what we've seen in the past, and both with stuff coming in and ultimately the potential for something even more serious to happen. 'What I'd like to see is that the prison service really get a grip of this issue and and we'd like to see the Government, security services coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn't materialise.' The annual report highlighted concerns that criminal gangs are often using sophisticated drones to target jails and sell contraband to bored and vulnerable inmates. Mr Taylor said that drones can smuggle in contraband more quickly and accurately than through corrupt prison staff or visits, as they can use location app what3words to deliver 'directly to an individual cell'. The report detailed that 39 per cent of respondents to prisoner surveys said it was easy to get drugs in prison, and inspectors regularly visited prisons where the recorded rate of positive random drug tests was more than 30 per cent. It said in many jails there were 'seemingly uncontrollable levels of criminality' that often inexperienced staff were unable to contain. It also found it 'unsurprising' that national rates of violence increased last year, making the chance of rehabilitation unlikely. Last month, the Independent Monitoring Board's annual report on prisons found violence remained 'excessively high', which was driven by overcrowding, inadequate mental health support and a surge in drug use. Of weapons, Mr Taylor said: 'I have been in prisons where they showed inspectors some pretty frightening-looking knives that have got in, which they suspect have got in as a result of drones.' The discovery of the zombie knife was after the period covered in the annual report. The watchdog boss said in the report: 'This is a threat that needs to be taken seriously at the highest levels of Government. 'Only when drugs are kept out, and prisoners are involved in genuinely purposeful activity that will help them to get work and resettle successfully on release, can we expect to see prisons rehabilitate rather than just contain the men and women they hold.' Mr Taylor's report also found overcrowding and lack of activity caused frustration among prisoners which fuelled the demand for drugs, with many spending most of the day in cramped shared cells with broken furniture and vermin. Overcrowding also meant there were not enough places for every prisoner to take part in work or education while in custody, but even when there were spaces available inspectors found underused workshops because of staff shortages. Purposeful activity was the worst performing assessment category by inspectors, with 28 out of 38 adult prisons visited deemed to be 'poor' or 'not sufficiently good' in this area. The findings, reviewed from April 2024 to March 2025, come as ministers grapple with overcrowding and high-profile security incidents in jails. The Government approved the use of protective body armour for prison staff in high security areas after four prison officers were attacked with hot oil and homemade weapons by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi at HMP Frankland in April. Ministers have also vowed to create 14,000 new prison places by 2031 and have accepted recommendations from the independent sentencing review to curb overcrowding in the long term. Responding to the prison watchdog's annual report, Andrea Coomber KC, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: 'This report is a checklist for all the reasons the Government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently. 'Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives, protect staff, and help more people to move on from crime.' Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, also said the report paints a sadly familiar picture of a prison system in deep crisis, which is not just a prison problem but a 'public safety issue'. 'Prisons should be places of rehabilitation, not warehouses of despair,' she said. Responding to the report, prisons minister Lord James Timpson said ministers are improving prisons so they 'cut crime, not create better criminals'. 'This report shows the scale of the crisis we inherited and the unacceptable pressures faced by our hardworking staff - with prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence,' he said. 'We're also investing £40 million to bolster security, alongside stepping up cooperation with police to combat drones and stop the contraband which fuels violence behind bars'.
Sky News
08-07-2025
- Sky News
'A threat to national security': Fears drones could be used to lift inmates out of prisons
Sophisticated drones sending "overwhelming amounts" of drugs and weapons into prisons represent a threat to national security, according to an annual inspection report by the prisons watchdog. HMP chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has warned criminal gangs are targeting jails and making huge profits selling contraband to a "vulnerable and bored" prison population. The watchdog boss reiterated his concerns about drones making regular deliveries to two Category A jails, HMP Long Lartin and HMP Manchester, which hold "the most dangerous men in the country", including terrorists. 2:28 Mr Taylor said "the police and prison service have in effect ceded the airspace" above these two high-security prisons, which he said was compromising the "safety of staff, prisoners, and ultimately that of the public". "The possibility now whereby we're seeing packages of up to 10kg brought in by serious organised crime means that in some prisons there is now a menu of drugs available," he said. "Anything from steroids to cannabis, to things like spice and cocaine." "Drone technology is moving fast... there is a level of risk that's posed by drones that I think is different from what we've seen in the past," warned the chief inspector - who also said there's a "theoretical risk" that a prisoner could escape by being carried out of a jail by a drone. He urged the prison service to "get a grip" of the issue, stating: "We'd like to see the government, security services, coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn't materialise." The report makes clear that physical security - such as netting, windows and CCTV - is "inadequate" in some jails, including Manchester, with "inexperienced staff" being "manipulated". Mr Taylor said there are "basic" measures which could help prevent the use of drones, such as mowing the lawn, "so we don't get packages disguised as things like astro turf". Responding to the report, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) said: "The ready access to drugs is deeply worrying and is undermining efforts to create places of rehabilitation." Mr Taylor's report found that overcrowding continues to be what he described as a "major issue", with increasing levels of violence against staff and between prisoners, combined with a lack of purposeful activity. Some 20% of adult men responding to prisoner surveys said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, increasing to 30% in the high security estate. Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "This report is a checklist for all the reasons the government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently. "Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives." 0:51 The report comes after the government pledged to accept most of the recommendations proposed in the independent review of sentencing policy, with the aim of freeing up around 9,500 spaces. Those measures won't come into effect until spring 2026. Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said Mr Taylor's findings show "the scale of the crisis" the government "inherited", with "prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence". He said: "After just 500 prison places added in 14 years, we're building 14,000 extra - with 2,400 already delivered - and reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again.
Sky News
08-07-2025
- Sky News
Drones are sending 'overwhelming amounts' of drugs into prisons - and could help inmates escape, report warns
Sophisticated drones sending "overwhelming amounts" of drugs and weapons into prisons represent a threat to national security, according to an annual inspection report by the prisons watchdog. HMP chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor has warned criminal gangs are targeting jails and making huge profits selling contraband to a "vulnerable and bored" prison population. The watchdog boss reiterated his concerns about drones making regular deliveries to two Category A jails, HMP Long Lartin and HMP Manchester, which hold "the most dangerous men in the country", including terrorists. 2:28 Mr Taylor said "the police and prison service have in effect ceded the airspace" above these two high-security prisons, which he said was compromising the "safety of staff, prisoners, and ultimately that of the public". "The possibility now whereby we're seeing packages of up to 10kg brought in by serious organised crime means that in some prisons there is now a menu of drugs available," he said. "Anything from steroids to cannabis, to things like spice and cocaine." "Drone technology is moving fast... there is a level of risk that's posed by drones that I think is different from what we've seen in the past," warned the chief inspector - who also said there's a "theoretical risk" that a prisoner could escape by being carried out of a jail by a drone. He urged the prison service to "get a grip" of the issue, stating: "We'd like to see the government, security services, coming together, using technology, using intelligence, so that this risk doesn't materialise." The report makes clear that physical security - such as netting, windows and CCTV - is "inadequate" in some jails, including Manchester, with "inexperienced staff" being "manipulated". Mr Taylor said there are "basic" measures which could help prevent the use of drones, such as mowing the lawn, "so we don't get packages disguised as things like astro turf". Responding to the report, the Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) said: "The ready access to drugs is deeply worrying and is undermining efforts to create places of rehabilitation." Mr Taylor's report found that overcrowding continues to be what he described as a "major issue", with increasing levels of violence against staff and between prisoners, combined with a lack of purposeful activity. Some 20% of adult men responding to prisoner surveys said they felt unsafe at the time of the inspection, increasing to 30% in the high security estate. Andrea Coomber, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: "This report is a checklist for all the reasons the government must prioritise reducing prison numbers, urgently. "Sentencing reform is essential, and sensible steps to reduce the prison population would save lives." 0:51 The report comes after the government pledged to accept most of the recommendations proposed in the independent review of sentencing policy, with the aim of freeing up around 9,500 spaces. Those measures won't come into effect until spring 2026. Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said Mr Taylor's findings show "the scale of the crisis" the government "inherited", with "prisons dangerously full, rife with drugs and violence". He said: "After just 500 prison places added in 14 years, we're building 14,000 extra - with 2,400 already delivered - and reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again.
